Gas tariffs wrong on ESB website?

McSim

Hi, looking at: https://www.esbelectricireland.ie/switchchange/allPricePlansIE.htm#one (you have to open a table by clicking to "Price Plan Rate Details - Click here" thanks to web 2.0 )
I can see discounted price in left column (dual super saver plan) and higher standard plan price in right column for electricity prices only.
Gas prices are the same in the left and right columns.
Table indicates that discounts are applied for both electricity and gas.

So what is the correct way to read the table and what is final price customers pay for gas/electricity on dual super saver plan?

Thanks.

Electric Ireland: David

Hi McSim,

The unit rate for gas remains unchanged - correctly pointed out. However this is because the discounts in question (4% for direct debit, 6% for online billing and direct debit) are not calculated against the unit rate, but against the total amount of units used per bill. In the image below, the discounts are not given a specific cent value, as the amount of the discount will vary depending on each customer's usage.



The same goes for the direct debit and online billing discounts for electricity only. The difference here is that there is a further core 8% discount off the unit prices (with the Supersaver option). So, the standard rate (14.10c), minus 8% = 12.86c. The direct debit and online billing discounts (if you have both applied) then take another 6% off the total after the usage has been calculated. And, if you are a dual fuel customer, a further 3% is discounted from the electricity usage in the same manner.

I hope this helps clarify any confusion. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

David.

McSim

David,

thank you very much for clarification. I think I understand it now.

It is just very confusing that super saver plans are subject to mandatory direct debit (that's where you get 8% off standard electricity price for units) and then further discount applies to total electricity amount for direct debit (which you will have to set up anyway to get super saver).

After your explanations I understand that discount is split between units and total amount for electricity and applied to the total amout only for gas (why is it - probably is out of scope of this discussion).

Electric Ireland: David

Hi McSim,

McSim wrote:

It is just very confusing that super saver plans are subject to mandatory direct debit (that's where you get 8% off standard electricity price for units) and then further discount applies to total electricity amount for direct debit (which you will have to set up anyway to get super saver).

Just to note, for existing customers it is not mandatory to set up via direct debit to receive savings (see the relevant FAQ here). This is where the 8% core discount comes into play. For the details of our 'Reward' tariff, see our original de-regulation Press Release.

Hope this information helps.

Thanks,

David.

Damien360

Can you just confirm the post above that the unit prices listed on your website are the undiscounted rate.

For example : I am currently with Bord gais for both electricity and gas.

The gas rate is exactly the same as your example but the Electricity rate is cheaper at 14.10cents per KW/h and therefore cheaper than your quoted 14.60 cents.

Is your offer 17% off electricity for max discount

plus 6% off gas for max discount.

My last bill for electricity was 117.98 for 649 units
and 92.50 for gas using 1691KW/h

It would be nice to see where the discount applies as you mention discount on total and discounts on unit price. What I am trying to get to is the true discount and not just headline figures.

Thanks

Electric Ireland: David

Damien360 wrote: »

The gas rate is exactly the same as your example but the Electricity rate is cheaper at 14.10cents per KW/h and therefore cheaper than your quoted 14.60 cents.

€0.1460 per unit includes VAT; it is €0.1286 excluding VAT. €0.1410 on the other hand is VAT exclusive; the true figure here is actually €0.16 per unit.

Damien360 wrote:

Is your offer 17% off electricity for max discount
plus 6% off gas for max discount... It would be nice to see where the discount applies as you mention discount on total and discounts on unit price.

Yes, that's correct. The breakdown on this discount works out as follows (taking the 24hr Supersaver tariff as an example):

Electricity

• A core discount (resulting in a unit rate reduction from €0.1410 to €0.1286; approx 8%)
• 4% discount for payment via direct debit (calculated against total units used per bill)
• 2% for signing up to online billing (calculated as above)
• 3% for being a dual fuel customer (calculated as above)

Gas

• 4% discount for payment via direct debit (calculated against total units used per bill)
• 2% for signing up to online billing (calculated in the same manner)

Damien360 wrote:

My last bill for electricity was 117.98 for 649 units
and 92.50 for gas using 1691KW/h

Using the above breakdown and figures provided as a guideline, I've worked out a bill of approx €109 for electricity and €87 for gas (saving you a combined total of approximately €14/15 per billing period). These totals include VAT and PSO levy.

If you need any further information, please don't hesitate to ask. To see the figures I've used, click here.

Thanks,

David.